Kiss me through the web

Technology continues to shower the human race with gadgets that allow people the opportunity to be intimate with loved ones from far away locations, with things such as picture messaging through cell phones, web chat, and Skype. A new invention will soon be added to the list, with the capability of allowing people to kiss through the computer. With modern technology such as this, the question remains: How can any long-distance relationship fail?
A Japanese graduate student of the University of Electro-Communications, Nobuhiro Takahashi, has created an oral transmitter, which creates the allusion of kissing through the computer. The device is shaped like a hand held speaker, with a slim tube that resembles a straw, which rotates under the control of one person. While the person rotates the tube with his/her tongue, the device records the movements that later translate to the receivers end on the computer. The individual then feels the motions of the kiss through the rotations of the tube.

"The elements of a kiss include the sense of taste, the manner of breathing, and the moistness of the tongue." Takahashi said to Digitized Information. "If we can recreate all of those I think it will be a really powerful device."

Although the device translates the motion of a kiss, the most important part, being the lips, is missing. The feeling of the lips while kissing is ultimately what makes the connection. "It's a bad idea because all it's doing is keeping people from interacting personally," said SMC student Mallory Browne. "People will lose the need to actually meet people, lose sight of relationships, and kissing won't be a serious part in someone's life anymore."

Despite the fact that the kissing machine lacks lips, this device can be beneficial for couples that are apart for long periods of time. "I think it goes both ways because the families of soldiers would have more intimate connections with their loved ones," said history major Brisa Andrade. "If it went mainstream, it would definitely kill the feeling of actually being with someone physically and kissing them."

In the year 2011, technology has created various items that keep people connected at all times. It seems that soon enough people will have a rotating tube in their mouth; fantasizing about the person they love as if the action is a reality. "I'm not saying it is a bad idea but I just feel that there is a lot less emotion when one kisses another through the computer rather than in person," said Hushun Smith, a science major.

The device is still being worked on and doesn't yet have a set release date, so only the future will tell if people are expecting to gain pleasure from a kiss from a machine.